As President Bush was calling the abuse at Abu Ghraib "un-American," many Americans raised questions about the treatment of prisoners here at home. Beginning in March 2005, the Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons spent a year exploring those questions and others.
Specifically, the Commission examined the nature and extent of violence, sexual abuse, degradation, and other serious safety failures and abuses in American prisons and jails, and the consequences for prisoners, corrections officers, and the public. Much of the inquiry was conducted through hearings, open to the public, in four cities around the country. After a year of gathering evidence, receiving testimony, and fostering a sense of urgency around these issues, on June 8, 2006, the Commission released Confronting Confinement a report and practical recommendations for operating correctional facilities that more closely reflect America's values and serve the country's best interests.
This nonpartisan Commission is co-chaired by former United States Attorney General Nicholas de B. Katzenbach and the Honorable John Gibbons, former chief judge of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. The members include a former chief U.S. district judge and other respected civic leaders with experience in the administration of justice and law enforcement; seasoned corrections professionals; advocates for the rights of prisoners; former prisoners; and members of the religious community. The Commission is staffed by and funded through the Vera Institute of Justice. To learn more about the Commission, visit www.prisoncommission.org.